Pastor Corey Brooks from Chicago, has raised $28.5 million by living in a tent for 345 days in his effort to collect $35 million for building a community center. Brooks, who founded Project H.O.O.D., started living in a tent in 2021 and did so until October 2022. His tent was placed on the roof of shipping containers for which he obtained the name the “rooftop pastor.” While living in the tent, he was away from his church, family and friends. Brooks is looking forward to raising the full $35 million so that he can fulfill his goal of building The Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center which would provide safety to Chicago’s youth amidst the city’s gun violence.
Christian Headlines reports:
A Chicago pastor spent 345 days camping out on a rooftop in an effort to raise $35 million to build a community center in the city’s South Side.
Pastor Corey Brooks, the founder of Project H.O.O.D., has raised $28.5 million out of his $35 million goal since he started living in a tent above eight shipping containers at 6615 S. King Dr in November 2021. He came down from the roof last October but has become affectionately known as the “rooftop” pastor. He spent his time away from his family, friends and church.
“Our goal has been to build a center on the South Side of Chicago, where it’s in a block called O Block,” Brooks told the “Edifi With Billy Hallowell Podcast.”. “It’s named after a young man named Odee Perry, who was shot and killed, and the gangs took the name the O and started calling it O Block.”
When asked how he managed to live on the rooftop for 345 days, Brooks said, “My commitment, first of all, [is] to God.”
“God gave me a vision, and I wanted to … bring it to fruition. I wanted to do everything that I could possibly do within my power … to do my part, to make it work.”
“I want the young people in our neighborhood to have an opportunity to live the American dream,” he added. “I just focused on God, I focused on the community, I focused on these kids and what they need in order to make it in this life.”
According to The Christian Post, Brooks hopes to meet the $35 million goal so he can build The Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center to provide a safe space for youth amid Chicago’s rampant gun violence.
Read the full article here.
About Post Author
